Of Hope and Hesitancy
by Bobdabuilder
Summary: Sora is an insanely famous pop artist, Riku, an insanely famous rock artist. What happens when the paparazzi releases a picture of the two sleeping together? Can Sora and Riku straighten out the obviously false rumors now spreading or will love truly bud?
1. It's Just So High

Disclaimer: The Kingdom Hearts characters are obviously not my creations. Although I do like to think of them as my babies. This is not the same, I swear! A girl can dream!

--

Sora loved the way everything felt surreal after a concert. The flashing lights. The sticky smell of sweat. The roar of the crowd outside. He should have been an actor. He passed a mirror as his agent hurried him down the hall. His face was slick with makeup and sweat. The door opens. And his smile is plastered to his face once more. Girls come oozing through the door like a disease, screaming his name and other incoherent things. Inside Sora is gagging. Outside Sora is laughing, and pleasantly signing autographs. The problem with being an actor, was that Sora would lose himself in his characters. As a pop star, it was easy to differentiate between the two. There was Sora, and there was him. That sickening little sugar-toothed fairy that made girls swoon. As long as he lived, Sora swore to never become that. To never lose himself in the image that everyone thought about him.

Minutes later and Sora is being pushed out of the hallway and into a limousine. His agent slides in next to him and begins babbling away at his schedule. He looks at her. Her hair is limp and hanging in her face. Her eyes show weariness and exhaustion. It isn't easy keeping up with the stars. He stares at her as she flips hastily through her papers, never looking at him. They're all the same. They never look at Sora. Because they know. They know he isn't all they've expected him to be. And within a month they all resign. But there's always another bimbo, hungrily waiting to seize the seat next to Sora. He remembers them all showing up, their makeup done and their clothes appropriate, but revealing all the same. He remembers them gushing over his latest single and how handsome he looks in his video. Most vividly, he remembers them droning on about his "wonderful personality" and how there's no one in the world like him. At this point he laughs good-naturedly, but deep down inside it's filled with malice and hatred, and assures them that indeed there is no one else like him. And so they leave, thinking that he is perhaps a bit cocky, but a good guy all the same. Within a week they all realize the mistake they've made. Sora is shaken out of his thoughts by his agent who is tugging at his jacket sleeve roughly.

"Sir we're here."

He yanks his arm away and waits for the driver to get out and open his door. His agent blushes lightly and gets out herself, through the other door. Jacque, the limo driver gracefully opens his door and lowers his gaze. Sora smiles. Jacque is the only one he likes in this god-forsaken town. State. Country, even.

"Thank you, Jacque."

Even as a cold-hearted asshole, Sora always remembers his manners. Oh yes, he'll politely tell someone they look like a whale. He will hold open the door for an elderly old woman, but leave it as soon as she gets to the door. He will kiss a woman's hand, before spritzing his mouth with listerine and wiping his lips with a napkin. He realized he was a Class-A asshole. But he also realized no one could do anything about it if he was a Class-A gentleman at the same time.

It was a chilly afternoon. Sora wrapped his faded leather jacket around him more tightly and quickened his footsteps. Behind him he could hear the "clackity clack" of Agent Whatsername's hideous high heels. High glass doors opened instantly as Sora's boots hit the top step of the high-class building. He stopped to take in the building in a disinterested manner. The gleaming floors, the sparkling chandelier - everything was so perfect. No, too perfect. He made sure to scuff his boots on the floor as much as possible while flashing a charming smile at the young woman at the front desk. She smirked in response and looked him up and down. Hm. A possible candidate for...later activities.

Whatever thought he was about to delve deeper into, abruptly stopped as he was unconsciously led to a door in the back and into a dark room. As he walked in the lights turned on and there standing in front of him, was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.

--

Riku inwardly rolled his eyes. He was a pretty easy guy to get along with, but if there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was that obnoxious, nasal voiced air-head, Sora. He strutted into the room like he owned the place, yet he was now in rocker territory. Not his little cupcake pansy land pop star world. He tiredly ran a hand through his silvery locks and sighed. Whatever. He would just have to deal with the little brat for a few weeks and then he'd be off the boy's chest for good.

However, he had to admit, Sora was a good looking kid. He was lanky, but you could tell there was definition behind those layers of clothes. His skin was tan and flawless, and he was dressed in a leather jacket, jeans and combat boots. For a Britney Spears wannabe, he had some style at least. He noticed that Sora was staring directly at him with large sapphire eyes. He raised an eyebrow at the kid who quickly looked away. He watched as Sora was introduced to some of the producers and directors on set. They all spoke to him with respect in their voices and Riku couldn't figure out why. This kid probably was as bad a singer as all the rest. Those damn pop singers and their high tech machines that had to edit every note that screeched out their voice box. Oh he could feel a migraine coming on.

"Kairi?"

A pretty red-head looked up.

"Yeah Ri?"

"Could you get me a coffee?"

She straightened up. "Sure thing."

"Thanks babe."

He settled back into his seat only to find that Sora was staring at him again. This time he raised both eyebrows. The kid, yet again, looked away but this time a slight blush graced his cheeks. Riku hated to admit that he was horribly turned on by this.

"And over here we have your partner in crime. Well Riku don't be such a clod. Get off your ass and greet the shrimp will ya?" Riku laughed and arose to his feet. He felt satisfaction as Sora seethed behind the director. He must not be used to such casual talk, the stupid prat.

"I'm Riku. Just Riku." He said, sticking out his hand.

Sora gaped at it for a moment before regaining his composure. "Sora. Just Sora." He grasped the other boy's hand tightly and smiled at him.

"Right, now that we're all introduced - hair, makeup. NOW!" The director bellowed and soon after random gay men and artistically challenged women came out to greet them. Sora was led to the hairstylist's room while Riku was steered toward the makeup. A bald man with emo specs came into the room looking bored.

"The usual Riku?"

Riku sat for a moment. "No, do what you want Leo. I trust you."

The bald man's eyes lit up. "You got it!"

--

Sora wanted to hit something. No. He wanted to kill something. No! He wanted to kill someone. These infested...people were pulling and tugging and snipping away at his hair like it was some bush that needed trimming. He knew rock stars needed to be taken care of before they went on stage, but for so much effort they still turned out looking like poor men taken out of a homeless shelter. He chuckled to himself and winced as a knot was yanked from his scalp.

"Zo much hair, yes?"

"Sorry?"

"You have zo much hair Zora, yes?"

"It's Sora you foreign idiot. Now just shut up and do your job."

"Zat eez enough young man! You are zee worst of zee worst! You come in here and want your hair done, yes? Zen you shall seet and be quiet!" The woman angrily shoved her hands into a pair of gloves and commenced spraying Sora's hair.

"What the hell are you doing to my hair?" He managed to ask between coughs.

The woman smacked him in the back of the head with the can. "There ees no swearing een my room, yes?" She spun his chair back so that he faced the mirror and his eyes widened slightly. He had never looked so good in his life.

His usual and famously spiky hair had been tamed and was now sticking up in expert places. The tips of the spikes had been dyed blue. But he noticed that this wasn't the I'm-such-a-lameass-I'm-gonna-dye-my-hair kind of blue. It almost looked natural. And that's what Sora was all about. All natural beauty baby. Snapple didn't have shit on him.

"You like, yes?"

Oh he loved. But of course, he was not one to satisfy others. They satisfied him. "It's okay I guess."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Thanks for all your help uhhh..." Sora trailed off reading her name tag "Bertha." He gave her a warm, fake smile before his agent came in to usher him out of the room.

Flash! Flash!

The little dots died away only after a moment and Sora saw the paparazzi flashing away at him through a window. He inwardly rolled his eyes. The paparazzi. What a sorry excuse for a job. Could you just imagine coming home from "work?" "Hey honey! I'm back from stalking celebs and trying to catch them in their underwear!" Sora snorted. He would love to be the child of a member of the paparazzi. But then again, most of the sorry people below him worshipped the paparazzi for getting those juicy pictures that started up the gossip. Ahh, rumors. There wasn't one thing Sora hadn't heard about himself in those pathetic Star magazines. He was asked about a different rumor every time he had an interview. Truthfully, the rumors only made Sora laugh. Something made up by the people below him, was certainly not worth his time.

He cracked a smile to the loud shouts from the paparazzi before his agent mumbled something and pushed him into the makeup room.

And there he was again.

Dressed like he didn't care about his style, but you could still definitely see he did care, in black jeans and a black t-shirt. A strange bald man was carefully putting weird symbols around Riku's eyes and cheekbones, which in Sora's opinion, only enhanced those emerald orbs of his.

He was beautiful - to put it lightly. Sora had never been so attracted to another person. He was open with his sexuality, he didn't really care what he got as long as they were hot. Of course, the paparazzi had a field day when they caught him making out with some guy. It just wasn't as...juicy for them if it was a girl.

But this boy...he was so different. It seemed like he did everything without effort. Everyone in the studio was laughing and joking with him. How could he stand all those...people treating him just like everyone else? But, he admitted, it seemed nice. Having others joke with you like you were pals. Everyone in his studio ran away from him at the first chance they could.

Sure, he was envious. But most of him was infatuated.

"Okay! Are we all done in here? Good, let's get Sora into makeup and someone PLEASE do something about that rat's nest on Riku's head!" The director had come in, barking to the hairstylist.

"Hey what's wrong with my hair?! It's my signature item man!"

"Riku it looks like it hasn't been washed in days. Someone get him a rinse and dry PRONTO. Yeesh, it's called Herbal Essence man!"

Sora snorted with laughter. He would have made a sly retort, but suddenly those electric eyes had turned to meet his gaze and he was shut up instantly. Next to him, his agent muttered something about wishing she had the power to do that. Sora's eyes narrowed.

"What was that?"

The color drained from her face. "N-nothing! Nothing at all!"

"That's what I thought." He smirked as he was pushed and shoved into a chair. The bald man leered over him, inspecting his face.

"You have great skin. I'm not going to do anything except put some powder on you, and maybe a dash of eyeliner - your fans will love that."

Sora smiled sweetly. "Thanks. Go right ahead."

It was just so easy for Sora to guide people into the palm of his hand. A little flash of his teeth, maybe a sweet word here or there, and soon they were practically asking to wipe his ass. His house was littered with gift baskets filled to the brim with senseless things he would never need. He didn't even know why he kept the things. Perhaps, he thought with a sense of dread, he was becoming too...soft.

"Well now that Riku's looking like a clean man, let's get to the shoot, shall we?"

--

An hour later, and Riku was exhausted. He had been worked to the bone this evening, listening to and complying to all of the crazy things the director had told him to do. For the first time in a while, a pop singer and a rock singer had come together to form one of the most powerful duets to date. It had all the characteristics of a rock song, but the director felt something edgy would make it a great hit. And that's when he saw the billboard for Sora on top of a skyscraper. "This is what we are looking for!" His director had exclaimed and frantically began dialing numbers. Riku figured that Sora had only agreed because it meant more money for him.

Today, they had shot the first in a series of things. The director wanted photos plastered everywhere, informing passerby about the worldwide release of the song. Next they would be recording the song, and soon after, making the video for it.

Today, had also been awkward. The director continued barking things at Riku and Sora as they stood in front of the cameras that made Riku have the decency to blush. He found himself doing provocative things to the younger boy that he had never done to anyone in his life. After the shoot, he overheard Sora asking the director why Riku had been, quote "practically dry humping" him for most of the shots. The director only laughed and ruffled Sora's hair like he was 12. In Riku's opinion, Sora had every right to ask a question like that and honestly, he wanted to know the answer as well.

After the makeup had been taken off his face, Riku sidled over to the snack bar in the back. He grabbed a bit of everything and plopped down in one of the squashy chairs near the set. Gnawing on a carrot, he watched as Sora slipped into the room unnoticed, watching everyone with a dark look on his face. His eyes wandered over to the computer, which was now digitally enhancing Riku's eye color and Sora's cheeks. He glared at the machine as a faint blush now graced his cheeks. Riku shuddered slightly. If that had been a human, it certainly would have ran crying at the sight of his glare. Suddenly Sora's eyes were on his own. Instead of looking away however, his eyes softened slightly before a cold glaze overtook them as his agent called him over.

Perhaps there was something more to the sugar coated lyrics in pop music. The next time he found himself at a CD store, he would be sure to check out Sora's latest album.

"Careful Riku, don't think too hard or you might hurt yourself." It was Kairi. In the midst of Riku's thoughts, she had sat down next to him holding a cinnamon bun.

"You never got my coffee."

She scoffed. "What am I, your slave?"

Riku and Kairi had been best friends ever since he could remember. She had been the one to encourage him to deepen his love for singing and music. She was there when he started his first band. She was even there, patting his back, as he was thrown out of his house for disgracing the family honor. After his parents had split, he went to live with his grandmother - a strong woman with a hatred for anything new and modern. Rock stars were at the top of her list. Of course, Riku still spoke frequently with his mother and father who passionately encouraged him in every way he could. When they weren't around though, it was Kairi who was his shoulder to lean on.

"Of course you're my slave. You sold your soul to me the day you offered me your ice cream."

Kairi laughed. "Well I didn't know that. I was only four years old, and thought it was the right thing to do."

"That's your fault for being innocent, not mine."

Kairi laughed again. "You're wicked, you know."

A comfortable silence fell between the two as they watched the crew packing up. Kairi noticed Riku's eyes following Sora as he argued with the men at the computer to take away the blush on his cheeks.

"I'm not a fucking pansy!"

"Of course you're not Sora."

"I do more Kung Fu than you will ever know!"

"We know that Sora."

"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A FIVE YEAR OLD, I'M PRACTICALLY THE SAME AGE AS GANDOLF OVER THERE!" Sora bellowed pointing at Riku.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Gandolf?"

Sora blanched. "Well...well he has white hair...and well I dunno your hair just kind of resembles his..."

Kairi and the crew all burst into hysterical laughter. "That...has...to...be..." Kairi wheezed, "One...of the...greatest...nicknames...of all time!" She got to her feet and clapped Sora on the shoulder. "I love this kid!"

"I AM NOT A KID."

"Sure, sure I know you're not." Kairi waved him off, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Sora made an angry growl and punched the wall. Everyone stopped laughing. There was a respectable sized hole in the wall.

"I am through with you morons." His voice had become eerily calm. Without another word, he spun on his heels and stormed out of the room.

A tense silence filled the room. Finally the director spoke. "We need him for this single to work. You there!" He pointed at Sora's agent. "You can get him back, can't you?"

She shook her head, hair falling into her eyes. Riku noticed that she would be very pretty if she took better care of herself. "Sora doesn't care what I say, I'm just his agent. You'll need someone better with words to persuade him to come back." Her voice was quiet, and she looked at the ground the whole time she spoke.

"What's your name, girlie?" The director asked.

"Namine, sir."

"Well Namine, as his agent you have a certain responsibility to uphold. Do you have any idea where he would have gone?"

Namine shrugged. "He's probably just outside waiting for his limo."

The director stared at her. Then he looked at Riku. "Go get him."

"What?! Why me?!"

"Because I said so, now MOVE IT!" He shouted while pulling Riku's arm out the door. A final shove and 'click' of the door meant that it was locked and that he would not be able to get back in until he had Sora. Damn it all, his cell phone was in there too. If this boy didn't go quietly, there was going to be hell to pay.

--

He hoped they would have to pay for that wall.

Sora was seething with anger, and to make matters worse, it was raining. The blue dye from his hair was now dripping down his leather jacket, some of the color seeping into the material. 'Great just what I need. A blue streaked leather jacket.' He angrily kicked a brick wall near the building and yelped with surprise. A brick had broken loose from above and almost hit him on the head.

"That's karma for you."

He whirled to see Riku standing impatiently, with his hair smattered in his eyes. If Sora hadn't been so angry he would have realized just how gorgeous the boy looked.

"Shut up, you don't know anything about me."

Riku snorted. "I know you're an obnoxious little brat who throws a temper tantrum every time he doesn't get his way-" He broke off as Sora's hands closed tightly around his collar.

"I said," Sora roughly pulled him closer so that Riku could almost see the sparks dancing in his eyes, "You don't know anything about me." He pushed him back and turned on his feet in disgust.

"Alright, alright I'm sorry. I don't know anything about you, you're right." Sora's eye twitched as Riku caught up to him. "But come on man, they were all joking in there! They didn't know you were so..." Sora whirled on him.

"So what? Childish? Sensitive? Spoiled? Which adjective are you going to spew at me this time, Gandolf?"

Riku put his hands up in defense. "Hey chill out. I was just going to say serious!"

Sora snarled at him before continuing to walk. Moments later he heard the silver boy's footsteps in sync with his own.

"Soooo...where are you going exactly?"

Sora hadn't actually considered this. He never did. When he was angry, his body just did what it wanted to do. It was impulsive. He liked that. Nothing planned out or organized. Just living life and letting it happen.

"Don't know, don't care. Will you get out of my face now?"

Sora's footsteps faltered as Riku moved in front of him and stopped him with his hand.

"No. Time to back inside now where it's warm and filled with good food. Come on, they've got awesome coffee." And without another word Riku had grabbed his hand and was yanking him back into the building. Sora hated to admit to the electricity that spread through his body at Riku's touch.

Now they had reached the back room and Riku was rapping loudly on the door, swearing under his breath.

"Do you have the ki-"

"YES, I have Sora." Riku interrupted, glancing nervously at the brunette. Sora only stared coldly at the floor. There was a muffled yelp of glee and the door was thrown open, the director dancing in the doorway. "Come in, come in! Oh look you're all soaked. Come sit down!"

Sora nearly gagged. He sounded like his mother. Someone placed a warm mug in his hands and saw it was none other than his agent. She smiled at him, looking him right in the eyes. "Welcome back, sir." Sora stared at her incredulously before returning the smile. "Thank you, Namine."

--

After numerous apologies, the photos had been chosen and people were saying their goodbyes. Riku sat in a corner watching the action around him. Two stylists were arguing over a hairdryer, both claiming it was theirs, Leo was teaching Namine how to put on makeup, and Sora was laughing over a joke the director had just told him. At the moment, you would never know how much of an asshole Sora could be. He looked adorable, with his face glowing and his smile wide.

"I've seen that look before." Kairi said, coming over to hand him his cell phone.

"What look?"

She nodded her head at Sora. "You've got the hots for The Hulk over there, don't you?"

"Not a chance." But Kairi didn't miss the flush that came to Riku's cheeks. She smiled.

"Well then, not that it makes a difference," She rocked on her heels. "But I'm pretty sure he's gaga about you too."

Riku sniffed. "I don't care."

She shrugged and walked away.

But maybe Kairi was right. Maybe Riku did think the kid was absolutely heaven-sent with the most breathtaking eyes he had ever seen. Maybe Riku didn't mind being so close to the boy during the photo shoot. Maybe it had only been awkward because he had enjoyed it. Maybe Riku felt a pang of jealousy as Namine and Sora smiled at each other.

And then Sora's eyes locked with his. The sapphire orbs narrowed as he caught Riku staring at him. Riku hastily grinned at him before busying himself with his cell phone.

Yeah, he could definitely feel that migraine coming on.

--

Hey everyone! It's been a while!

To tell the truth, for a while this story wasn't even going to be posted. It's a very bittersweet experience writing this. I find it difficult to keep Sora being so mean when all I want to do is have him pounce on Riku for 10 chapters.

What does everyone think? It's a bit dark, but I'm having fun writing it despite how frustrating it can be and how much writer's block I've been getting. Jeez!

I don't know where this story is going exactly...or even if it will be finished. But I will be beginning chapter 3 as you read this because chapter 2 is already done! So that's at least 2 chapters right?

Thanks for reading, and if you've never heard of Bobdabuilder, you can check out my other story. It's actually finished so it may be a more satisfying read!

Thanks everyone! :)


	2. And I'm So Tired

Disclaimer: I'm a poor artist with nothing to own. Feed me a stray cat! (I don't even own that line, see)

* * *

Sora hardly got any sleep that night. He had tried everything - aromatherapy, relaxing music, reading - but nothing seemed to help him fall asleep. He couldn't get those electric green eyes out of his head. He mildly wondered if he was going insane. Usually Sora would have marched right back to the pretty woman at the front desk and asked her out. Usually at this point she would have been stumbling into his condo, drunk to the high heavens. Usually at this point, he would be having his way with her. By the next morning he would coldly tell her to leave and never come back. Humorously enough, he spotted a couple of his more memorable partners still purchasing his albums, months later. 'Pathetic,' he thought while shifting in his bed. That was the perfect word to describe most of the human race. Absolutely pathetic. Running around, trying to find out who he had last slept with. Why did people even care so much about his personal life? Didn't they have those of their own? He gave a last sigh of frustration before sitting up and flipping his lights on. The clock on his night table read 3:03 AM.

Maybe a walk would clear his head.

Not bothering to change, he simply threw on his favorite pair of sneakers and grabbed his jacket. Quietly, he tiptoed through the hallway and down the spiralling staircase. 'Slowly...' he thought to himself. "Slowly, if I'm quiet enough she won't notice and I'll be free to-"

"And where do you think you're going?"

Sora's eyes snapped shut. Busted.

"Uhhhh..." He quickly changed gears. "I refuse to answer anything until you tell me what you're doing up at this hour."

A pretty brunette spun an easel around to reveal a picture of...

"AHHH!" Sora screamed, covering his eyes. "MY BEAUTIFUL VIRGIN EYES! MOM! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SHOWING ME THESE THINGS?!"

His mother shrugged. "I was inspired by my vampire novel. Eisel is a beautiful character."

"Yeah, I'll bet. Whatever I'm out of here." He angrily zipped his jacket and stormed out of the room.

Sora's mother simply rolled her eyes. "Oh, to be an angsty teen singing sensation." She dipped her paintbrush into a cup of water and then continued working on her canvas.

'Stupid car. Stupid sign. Stupid blinding lights. Stupid coffee. Stupid EVERYTHING!' Sora ferociously kicked a soda can and watched it go whirling out of sight. He desperately needed somewhere to clear his head. Making up his mind, he decided to head to the library, unsure of whether it would be open or not. A few blocks down however, he passed a CD store. He froze in his tracks.

"Riku?"

Sora turned and breathed a sigh of relief (and was that disappointment as well?) as he saw it was just a poster of Riku's latest album. If it were possible to look more sexy, Sora would eat his boots. He studied the album and read the reviews underneath the picture. All of them had given the album 5 stars. He glanced into the store. It seemed to still be open and he did have money on him...

"Ah, what the hell."

A soft tinkling bell sounded as Sora entered the store. It seemed completely empty, albeit a few goths lurking in the shadows. His stomach unknotted. They wouldn't recognize him if he stood an inch from their faces and stated his name.

Casually, he strolled through the store, purposely avoiding the "pop" area. He thought he might puke if he saw his albums. Finally, he found the alternative section and thumbed through the discs. It seemed Riku had only released two albums. Or maybe all the others were sold out. His gaze caught on the same album as the one on the poster and he picked it up. 'Where You Want to Be,' he read to himself. It seemed philosophical enough to be one of those clever rock albums. Suddenly he realized what he was doing. What the hell had possessed him to buy an album from some guy he had never had any interest in before the photo shoot, which had been less than 24 hours ago?! He slowly put the album back, still not understanding what was wrong with him.

He was acting so out of character. He had sung duets with attractive people before, but he had never acted like a hormonal teenage girl before. Sora ran his hands through his hair and let out a grunt of frustration.

"Well look who's here!"

Sora's heart jumped up his throat. He knew that voice. He looked up to see a smug, yet slightly confused Riku standing mere feet from him. No. He was hallucinating.

"You aren't real," Sora mumbled. "You are a hallucination due to lack of sleep. That is all."

Riku cocked an eyebrow at him. "You know, my fangirls usually like to tell me I'm not real. I never really thought you'd swing that way, Sora."

Chills ran up Sora's spine at the sound of his name. "I'm bisexual, thank you very much. I swing whichever way I want."

"Oh. Well anyway, what are you doing here?" Sora noted a slightly perkier tone to Riku's voice.

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself." He said, more to himself than to the older boy in front of him.

"Hey." Sora looked up to see Riku holding up one of his albums. "This is pretty deep, man."

Was that supposed to be a compliment? Of course it was deep, he had written the stuff. Sora held back an eye roll and instead just nodded.

"I bought it. My first pop album. Although it doesn't really sound that pop-ish to me. But maybe I'm biased."

Sora knew where this was going. Yet he couldn't prevent himself from asking "How?" aloud.

"If you screeched instead of sang, I would probably find it beautiful." Riku took a step forward. "In fact, I'm sure I would find anything you did beautiful."

Sora couldn't help but snort. "Yeah, yeah. Go tell your fangirls that one, asshole." He shoved his way past Riku and left the goths ogling over what had just taken place.

Riku blinked in confusion. Had he...had he really just said that?

"What the hell just happened?" He wondered aloud to himself. Sure Sora was completely adorable, but why had he chosen to tell Sora that? He couldn't really be falling for the kid. He was cold hearted and a jerk and everything Riku didn't want in a lover. But...

He thought back to a few hours ago. Sora had loosened up. He had acted...normal. And that side of Sora was completely alluring. In fact, cold hearted bastard Sora was alluring to Riku as well. He wanted to know why Sora acted the way he did. He wanted the boy to run, crying to him, and feel safe as Riku wrapped his arms around him. But now he had ruined things and Sora would never run to him unless it was to hit him.

He sighed. He needed a drink - desperately. A quick glance at his watch however, told him that no bar within walking distance would be open. He sighed again. Oh well. Nothing to do but go home and sleep it off.

Riku pulled his jacket closer to him and nodded at the goths in the corner. Some nodded back while others continued staring at him like he had just been released from an asylum. He bit back a nasty remark and pushed open the door leading outside.

"Sora?"

The boy was sitting on a nearby bench, looking utterly antisocial with his arms crossed and an irritated expression on his face. Riku sensed that this was his only chance to redeem himself for what he had said. He hesitantly took a few steps forward and watched Sora's body tighten as he neared closer.

"Sora...well um, I'd like to apologize. I didn't mean to invade your space like that before and errr...I was hoping we could start over. I wasn't trying to insult you or anything." He scuffed his feet on the ground. One thing Riku would never admit was that he was terrible at apologizing. He said a quick prayer in his head that Sora would forgive him.

"Whatever."

He looked up. Although Sora's voice had been cold as ice, his body language was telling differently. He was no longer as stiff as a board, and his face had changed into a scowl. This was a big change, in Riku's opinion. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"May I sit down?"

Sora snorted. "You don't need to use the formalities, princess."

Riku chuckled and plopped down next to the younger boy, careful to leave some space between them.

"Sooooo," Riku started. "You come here often?" He sensed Sora's body tense suddenly, but relax just as quickly when he saw Riku grinning at him. He gave a small smile.

"Not really."

"So what brings you to this lovely, rusting bench?" His stomach flipped as Sora's small widened a bit. It must have been something he ate before. Yeah, that's right. Those chicken wings must have upset his stomach.

"I couldn't sleep I guess."

"So you decided to go to the CD store at 3 in the morning?"

Sora scoffed. "Well, I was going to the library."

"But you ended up in the CD store?" He felt curiosity pulse through his veins as Sora's cheeks reddened.

"Yeah well, I realized the library must be closed at 3 in the morning." He looked up through his bangs to glance at the silver haired boy. Riku took in a sharp breath of air. At that moment he realized how wrong he was when he had called Sora "adorable." Adorable was an understatement.

"I-" Riku was cut off as headlights half blinded him. A soft honk and Sora hopped off the bench.

"That's my ride. Need a lift?" Riku paused for a moment. Alone. In the back. With Sora.

Bad idea.

"Nah I think I'll walk it."

Sora nodded. "See you tomorrow then?"

Riku smiled. "Don't be late."

Sora raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. Riku was not turned on in the least. Nope.

"I'm not late for anything." He gave a small wave and clambered into the limo.

As the car's headlights faded out of sight Riku shut his eyes. It hadn't even been 24 hours, and he was already falling for the bipolar, shrimpy menace.

Sora stifled a yawn as he followed Namine into the building. The chandeliers and shiny floors looked less cheesy than they had yesterday. Or perhaps that was because Sora was focused on other matters. Such as whom he would soon be coming into contact with yet again. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what he was thinking. Why was he even thinking about Riku? The boy's name suddenly brought a wave of new memories through his head. He had...had a dream about Riku?

He had been standing in an ocean, in knee deep water, while Sora watched him from the shore. His back was turned to Sora and Sora was calling out his name desperately. The silver haired boy slowly turned around and beckoned him forward with his hand. Before Sora had a chance to act, he had woken up to the sound of his new alarm clock - his mother screaming in his ear. He hated getting up early. Almost as much as he hated people.

His soon to be rant was stopped short as Namine swiftly pushed open the door and led Sora into the recording studio. He spotted all the familiar faces that he had seen yesterday, continuing to look until his gaze fell upon a certain bundle of silver hair.

Riku was dozing on a comfortable looking arm chair, with drool slowing dribbling down his chin. Sora winced. He hated saliva almost as much as he hated people and getting up early. He shook his head slightly to prevent himself from going into a rant yet again.

'Should I go over there and wake him up?' He thought nervously, glancing at the director who was busy yelling at his assistant for not adding enough sugar to his coffee. But his coldness was slowly returning. Somewhere, deep inside of him, he realized that doing so would seem a kind gesture. He scoffed at the idea of being kind. Instead of moving to wake Riku up, he folded his arms and settled into a squashy red sofa. Namine sat delicately beside him. She looked at him kindly.

"Would you like something to eat, Sora?"

He shrugged, biting his lip. Namine was not deterred.

"Perhaps I could surprise you?"

Sora shrugged again, pretending to be interested in a crack in the floor. He felt the sofa rise a bit as Namine got up to scout the breakfast table.

It had only been a few moments before Sora's eyes were trailing back towards Riku. Someone was with him now. It was the red head, what was her name again? Kanye? No, no, that was a rapper...Kaiba...Keane...Kairi...Kairi! Kairi that was it! She seemed to be laughing hysterically at something as high pitched noises kept coming out of her throat. And unless she was broken, Sora assumed it was laughter. She stood up suddenly, capping what looked like a black marker. Sora furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and leaned over slightly to see what Kairi had done. His question was answered before he got to see what had happened.

"KAIRI, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"

Sora snapped his head to the right to see the director stomping angrily towards Riku.

"Wake up you lazy ass!"

Riku was violently forced awake as the director grabbed his face in one hand and Kairi's wrist in the other. Sora hadn't even seen her trying to escape. Riku's eyes fluttered open. Sora let in a sharp intake of breath.

Riku's eyes were at least 5 shades darker than usual. His mouth was curved into a scowl. But the worst were the 3 letters printed across his forehead. Sora figured this was where Kairi came in.

Yes. Riku's forehead boldly screamed out the word "ASS" at all who chose to look.

He let out a rather loud yawn, which somehow turned into a grunt, before snuggling back into the chair and commencing to snore. Sora stared with his mouth slightly ajar. He was brought back into reality as the director began shaking Kairi.

"WHAT" shake "IS" shake "WRONG" shake "WITH YOU?!" shake shake.

Kairi's head flung around like a doll. "It's washable! Calm yourself!"

The director stopped almost immediately. "You there!" He pointed at a scrawny looking teen. "Get this off his head!" He whirled around towards Kairi. "And YOU! Stay the hell away from him unless we can see BOTH of your hands!" Kairi held her hands up in mock defeat.

"Yeesh, someone is grumpy this morning!"

The nameless director rubbed his temples. "I am merely stressed out because of the shenanigans going on as of late! And would someone PLEASE bring these two into hair and makeup? Am I supposed to be playing God here? WORK WITH ME PEOPLE! WAKE UP!" He clapped his hands loudly and people seemed to spring into action.

"Here, Sora. I brought you a bagel and a coffee." Sora looked up to see Namine handing him a plate and cup. He nodded at her.

"Thanks."

She merely smiled and floated away towards Leo, probably intent on getting more makeup tips. Sora rolled his eyes. And to think he was starting to bear the girl's existence. Granted, she had been different during the interview. She had blushed furiously when Sora asked why she wanted the job, mumbling something about her cousin being an avid fan. Ahhh, of course. Always doing favors. How compassionate. How thoughtful. How...disgusting. In Sora's opinion, people needed to get off their fat asses, stop going to McDonald's and get something done for a change. But, he admitted, Namine HAD been different. She showed determination and interest in what Sora told her to do. She didn't look at him with the expression that she was ready and willing to have sex on the office desk at that very moment. Which is why he chose not to ask. And which is why he accepted her without so much as a second thought. But he would not admit that he could stand Namine. She was just convenient.

"Mmrgh..." Sora sipped his coffee as he watched 3 men attempt to get Riku off the chair. His arms were clutched around a pillow and he was muttering under his breath. Without so much as a warning, his eyes finally snapped open and he wrenched himself away from the men.

"Mind your fucking space." Sora's eyes widened again. Riku's voice was...scary. Actually, his physical appearance was kind of scary as well. His eyes were almost black, his face was pale and his hair was disheveled and in his eyes. Perhaps scary went hand in hand with sexy?

Riku rose off the chair slowly and dragged himself into the makeup room. He slumped over towards the table where Leo and Namine were talking. Namine looked up.

"Get the fuck out."

She paled visibly before stuttering out an apology. Leo looked at her apologetically before raising his hand and slapping Riku in the face.

"THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?" Riku spun, clutching his bruising cheek.

"Do not ever speak to a woman like that." He glared coldly at Riku before turning to Namine with a cheerful attitude.

"Don't mind sunshine over there! As you can see, he isn't a morning person. It takes a nice hard smack in the face to wake this one up. And between you and me," He leaned closer. "It sometimes DOESN'T wake him up."

But Riku seemed to be slightly more alert. He was impatiently drumming his fingers on the table and staring at the mirror in front of him. Sora's heart thumped wildly as he realized Riku was looking at HIM. Although he wanted to say something, he merely narrowed his eyes and looked away. He heard Riku snort in annoyance.

"Not to be a bother or anything, but are you going to make me presentable anytime soon?"

Leo smiled at Namine for a last moment before setting to work on Riku.

Minutes later, and Riku looked presentable. The two boys quickly wrapped up the photo session, Riku snapping to action as soon as the camera pointed at him. But when it was taken away, he slumped down and looked as though he were sleeping. Sora did not understand him at all. In fact, his attitude was just beginning to piss Sora off. He was like a volcano, and everyone seemed to be treating him like one. No one knew what words might set Riku off. But then, he noticed, they were treating him that way as well. Except more discreetly. But Sora didn't miss the nervous twitch from some of the workers, or the hesitant pause between sentences. He was not oblivious to the falsely cheerful exterior they were presenting. No, he was not stupid. But everyone liked to pretend he was anyway.

But it had always been like this, and he had come to accept that.

He sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. The crew was on break for another 20 minutes.

"I'm going outside."

The director turned to him with fearful eyes but Sora interceded immediately.

"Just need some air, I'm not going to go psycho on you."

He pushed himself off the chair and walked towards the door. As he turned to open it, another hand shot out and beat him to it. Sora looked up to see Riku standing next to him. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I'm coming." Riku muttered, his hair falling in his face. Sora had the urge to brush it away, but shook off the idea.

"Whatever." He shoved his way past and made his way out of the building, quite aware of the light footsteps behind him.

It was a chilly morning outside the studio, people bustling to and from wherever they were going. Riku quietly followed Sora into the crowd of people, avoiding people's gazes. Sora made a sharp right and pushed open the door to a small cafe. Riku almost missed the action, but succeeded in staying on his trail. The cafe was slightly warmer than it was outside, with squashy chairs and the smell of coffee wafting throughout the place. Riku's mouth watered. He had forgotten he was hungry. He followed Sora over to the register and listened to him speak to a woman there like she was an old friend. Granted, Sora treating someone like an old friend was probably like any normal person treating a stranger like a smelly old sock. But the difference was there. Their conversation seemed to be over as she grabbed two menus and motioned Sora forward. The brunette turned around to gaze idly at Riku. "Hungry? Or are you just gonna stare at my ass all day?"

Riku smirked. "Which would you prefer?" But Sora had already started following the waitress towards a small glass table in the back. Hurriedly, the older boy scurried over to the table and plopped down next to Sora on a sofa. He turned to grin at the boy.

"Not too shabby, this joint."

Sora nodded nonchalantly, continuing to flip through the menu.

"Sooooo...how'd you know about it?"

No response. Riku decided to have one more go.

"Ummm, what are you getting?"

"If I knew that, I would no longer be holding my menu, and attempting to read it."

Riku mouthed an 'Oh' and clammed up immediately. He didn't want to push Sora and get him mad. Especially not in public. Ohhhh, that could end in disaster. He could just see it now, the headlines in the paper reading "Three Waitresses Killed and One Small Baby Eaten in Traumatic Cafe Massacre." Riku gulped and hastily grabbed his menu to take his mind off of the scarring images racing through his head.

A few moments later, and Riku found himself waiting for a french vanilla coffee and waffles. He settled into the sofa, warmth enveloping his body.

"Riku?"

Somewhere, he felt someone probing his body.

"Mrrgh..."

It was so warm, dammit! Why wouldn't they let him stay where it was warm?

"Rikuuuuuuuuu..."

What a nice voice. If only he could see who it was coming from...

Finally, Riku's body stopped fighting and fell limp, landing on a soft pillow. Then there were only his dreams.

This was bad. Very bad. Sora was currently sporting a mass of silver hair on his lap. Of course, this mass of silver hair was attached to a body. A body that he was quickly growing more and more attracted to by the minutes. Sora knew this could turn ugly if he continued to let the boy sleep on his lap. Slowly, he lifted Riku's head and began inching away from the sleeping blob.

"Ermph!"

Sora froze in fear. He had seen Riku's behavior in the studio. Any sudden movement and the beast would awaken from his slumber and probably pummel Sora into the ground. He felt a sudden surge of anger rise up. Why had he let this stupid oaf follow him out of the studio? Riku had caused nothing but trouble for him these past few hours. Why was he continuing to let the boy in? His fears from yesterday were currently being confirmed. He WAS getting too soft.

Two strong arms wrapped around Sora's waist and pulled him closer. Sora shut his eyes in annoyance as Riku began mumbling happily to himself and smacking his lips. Rock stars.

Almost as if God himself were mocking Sora, the waitress waltzed over holding a tray of food. Her eyes traveled from the bundle of joy in Sora's lap, up to Sora's face. Quickly he composed himself and offered her a smile.

"Can I have a hand here?"

She giggled, and set the tray down. Then, as quickly as Sora blinked, she had sat Riku up and smacked him smartly across the face. Sora held his breath and readied himself to defend. He also subtly noted that Riku got slapped a lot.

Riku's eyes fluttered open as his cheek turned bright pink.

"What the HELL do you think..." Riku paused midway through his furious rant as the waitress waved his plate of food in front of his face.

"Oh! My waffles! Thank you Miss!" He happily exclaimed taking the food from her.

Sora blanched.

"Do you have a healthy mental status?"

Riku looked up from his plate of half destroyed waffles to stare at the brunette.

"Course I do!" He stuffed another piece of waffle into his mouth. "Your food is gonna get cold." Or at least that's what Riku wanted to say but it came out something like a mix of Bulgarian and Chinese.

"I have no idea what you just tried to tell me, but I will now take this opportunity to eat."

Riku blinked as Sora began buttering a towering plate full of pancakes. He had just had a bagel moments before and he was STILL hungry? It must have been those intense pop star regimens. Seeing that Sora was paying no attention whatsoever, he allowed himself a more thorough study of the boy in front of him. The younger singing sensation was wearing a white button down shirt with a black vest layered over it. The sleeves were rolled up and Riku could see lean muscle peering back at him. His eyes traveled up slowly, to where the buttons on Sora's shirt lay open, revealing a tan neck. He gulped painfully. The pop star regimen seemed to be working wonders.

"If you're done memorizing the stud in front of you, can we go now?"

"I'm not quite finished."

Riku's eyes bulged slightly after realizing what he had just said aloud.

"I mean...and well...that was supposed to be kept to myself, I'm so-"

Sora quirked an eyebrow at him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wallet. After placing a twenty on the table he smirked at Riku, who he noticed was still babbling like a moron, and got up. Not looking to see if the other was following him, he nodded at the waitress and left the cafe.

It was only until he was halfway down the street did he realize two things:

1.) Riku was nowhere in sight.  
2.) He had just openly accepted a flirtatious comment from a rock star.

He stopped walking, nearly running over a small old woman.

What had he just done?! Wasn't it only hours before when he was disgusted at the sight of Riku? Wasn't it just hours before when Riku had almost caused him to break his jaw in the CD shop?! What was wrong with him? Why was this boy causing him to act like a PMSing girl? Why did he find himself daydreaming about doing very wrong things with Riku, when he couldn't even bring himself to willingly speak to him in real life? Riku was from a different world - a world that should never collide with his own.

He squared his shoulders, set his jaw and vowed to never give in to the icy prince again.

His shoulders sagged almost immediately. Had he just called Riku an "icy prince?!"

"Yo!"

Before he had time to ponder the matter, he saw the root of his problems plowing down the street towards him. Riku skidded to a halt less than a foot away from Sora, his electric green eyes sparkling in the winter sunlight. Sora inhaled sharply and immediately wished he hadn't. His nose was filled with the scents of peppermints and rainwater. It was becoming rather difficult to focus as the intoxicating aroma made his head spin and his hormones go into overdrive.

This was bad.

"...and you didn't even let me finish my waffles!"

Sora blinked.

"Sorry, were you saying something?"

Riku's mesmerizing eyes clouded with confusion and pain before they narrowed. "Thanks a lot!"

Sora's own eyes rolled in response. "Let's go, we're already late."

A comfortable silence settled between the two as they made their way back to the studio to continue working. Well, it was comfortable for a little while anyway.

"Sora?"

"What."

Riku glanced over before hiding behind his bangs. Sora didn't miss the pinkness to his cheeks. Huh. Must've been because of the cold wind.

"Why...um...why didn't you yell at me before, after what I said?"

Sora knew this was a horribly general question and yet he knew exactly what Riku was talking about. He decided to use the old answer-a-question-with-another-question trick to avoid a sticky situation.

"Why do you think, Riku?"

He noticed Riku's cheeks flush more deeply as Sora said his name. Damn wind.

"I thought maybe it was because you were starting to like me."

Sora gasped softly. There was no hesitancy to Riku's response. Instead there was a confidence that was turning Sora on to new heights. He should've just answered Riku's question instead of trying to escape the situation. He could see where the relationship between the two was heading - and he was scared completely by it. He had always been in control of his life. Suddenly an attractive guy walks into it and thinks he can just tear down all the walls? All the barriers Sora had meticulously spent putting up? No. He wouldn't become someone he didn't know. He knew Riku's type. And he knew it would only cause him problems.

Sora stopped in his tracks and waited for Riku to turn around and look at him.

"I don't like you anymore than I did to begin with. And I think from now on you should keep away from me. We wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Stick with Kairi I'm sure she's more your speed anyway."

He didn't wait to see what Riku's reaction would be. Instead he spun around and half ran back to the studio, proud that his voice had come out harsh and cold instead of cracking or faltering as he had feared it would.

As he entered the studio, he waited for warmth to envelop him.

It never came. Instead, an icy cold covered his heart and he knew deep inside that it would never melt.

Riku felt like he had been slapped. What was it with people and slapping him lately?!

With a sigh, he followed the path that Sora had left as he ran ahead. To get away. From him.

He sighed again and ran his hands through his hair as he walked.

Sora was the most complicated person he had ever stumbled upon. One minute he was...well he was NEVER nice, but the hint of it was there. And the next he was the bastard Riku wished he didn't have to associate with. It was much too exhausting for Riku to be dealing with. If Sora wanted him to stay away, he would gladly do so. He could do much better than a little punk who thought he ruled the world. So what if he had the bluest eyes Riku had ever seen? Riku hadn't seen them all. And so what if the desire to just hold him and tell him everything would be okay possessed him every time Sora's face fell? Sora's mother could do that for him.

He felt slightly better as he entered the studio. As long as he didn't have to touch Sora, or look at him too much he would be okay. The video for their song probably would be a little tormenting but he was sure it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. How bad could a 4 minute video be? Some lip syncing on the same set, badda bing bam boom. Done. And then they would be done for good.

"Riku! Finally! Did you fall in a sewer?"

He smiled as Leo came rushing over to him and squabbling for people to take his coat and scarf.

"Fortunately for you, I did nothing of the sort. I'm just a slow walker." He grinned.

Leo rolled his eyes and straightened up.

"Are we to start filming, Leo?" Riku wanted to be done as quickly as possible.

The bald man's eyes flashed as he smiled maliciously.

"Not today, my pet. But I'm sure you'll be as excited to start filming as Sora is once you know what the video is about."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

At that moment he heard a strangled noise and looked over to see Sora blushing a furious red with his hands over his mouth. Leo followed Riku's line of sight and dismissed the flabbergasted boy with a wave of his hand.

"Don't mind him, he's been like that for the past 10 minutes. I would be concerned but he keeps making noises so I know he's alive."

Riku's head swiveled back to look at Leo. "And what exactly did you tell him that would cause that reaction?"

He adjusted his glasses and coughed lightly. "I only told him that you and him were going to be a little more...feely in the video."

"What?■

"It's nothing you've never done before. Just something sexy to catch the public's attention, you know?"

Riku felt faint. "S-sexy?"

"Sure, sure. Just think of it as kissing Kairi or someone!"

He heard a huge guffaw from Kairi before his mind dissolved into a state of vegetation.

-

* * *

  
So here is chapter 2, I'm sure you all were devestated that Riku did not get in the car with Sora. Don't worry, I was too.

However, there is much more to come, folks!

:


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